WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The rate of accidental deaths among
young children in the United States has declined dramatically
in recent years, but remains the leading cause of childhood
fatalities, a safety advocacy group said on Monday.

A study by Safe Kids USA said the rate of childhood injury
deaths declined by 45 percent since 1987, from 15.4 per 100,000
to 8.5 per 100,000 in 2005.

"Despite this decline, unintentional injury remains the
leading cause of death among children ages one to 14 in the
United States," the group said in its report.

"In fact, 5,162 children ages 14 and under died in 2005
from an unintentional injury, and 6,253,661 emergency room
visits for unintentional injuries in this age group occurred in
2006," the study said.

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Many deaths and injuries are preventable, the study said.

But only 58 percent of parents of young children said
serious injury or death from an accident was a major concern.
That was down from 65 percent in 1987, the study said.

Mothers worry about it more than fathers. About 64 percent
of mothers and 51 percent of fathers cite serious injury from
accidents as a major worry, the study said.

Accidental deaths of children fell in most risk categories,
including car accidents, drowning, fires and burns. But death
by suffocation saw a 21 percent increase. The study said one
reason for the increase is better investigations on the cause
of death. Many deaths that were once attributed to sudden
infant death syndrome (SIDS) are due to suffocation from soft
pillows and other bed material or from bed-sharing with a
parent, the study said.

Children under the age of four have the highest death rate
from accidents of any of the age groups, the study said.
Suffocation is the leading cause of accidental death for babies
under age one, while drowning is the leading cause for children
between one and four, the study said.

Children between the ages of five and nine have the lowest
rate of accidental deaths of any of the age groups, the study
said. Car accidents are the leading cause of death for children
ages 10 to 14, it said.